The Royal 50 family consists of three generations that were produced from 1960 through 1963.  They represented Zenith’s entry into the smaller 6 transistor shirt pocket sized radios and was their answer to the sets coming out of Japan like the Sony TR610 and the Hitachi 666 both of which started in 1958.  The Royal 50’s offered great sound quality for their size and were built with high quality componets that allowed them to stand up to years of use and produce 80 milliwatts of undistorted sound.  They are powered by 2 AA batteries and measure 4.25″ tall, 2.5″ wide, and 1.25″ deep and weight only 8 ounces. 

Because of their styling and performance, Royal 50’s remain a popular choice of collectors today.  However, with the increasing competition from overseas and the constant introduction of new pocket-sized radios, this series had a much shorter life span than it’s big brother (the Royal 500). 

The family continued into 1965 with the introduction of the Royal 59.  A similar sized set, this one had 8 transistors and packed a punch.  It’s beautiful grill and smart circular dial make it quite attractive as well.  These seem to be quite common.  Read more about the Royal 59 in their own section below.     

Check out these The Royal 50 Family radios.

Other Shirt Pocket Sized Zeniths
Royal 50
Royal 50 H
Royal 55C Converta
Royal 50L
Royal 59-G and 59-1G
pockets